Power press



Seplt. 24, 1929. B, w, BROCKETT 1,729,148

POWER PRESS Sept- 24, 1929. B. w. BRocKETT v 1,729,148v

POWER PRESS Filed sept. 6, 1925 3 sheets-sheet 2 Inma/nier,

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Sept 24, 1929- B. w. BRocKET-r 1,729,148

PowERPREss Filed Sept. 6, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 atroz m99 Patented Sept. 24, 1929 UNiTI-:D STATES Parri-:lair ori-lcs` BLUFORD W, BROCKETT, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASS-IGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,I OF ONE-HALF TO THE AIERICAN LAUNDRY MACHINERY COMPANY, F CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO, AND ONE-HALF TO i UNITED STATES HOFFMAN MACHINERY CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF DELA- wenn Pownn Pnnss Appncaaon mea sepfembe e, 192s. serial no. eamo?.

This invention relates to presses of thelaundry and garment press type utilized for pressing materials including under and outer garments.

Laundry and garmentpresseshavebeencon- -structed in variousways and a very popular type, and the one to which this invention is particularly directed, comprises a\ frame supporting a buck or bed adapted to be en- -10 lgaged by a coextensive head for pressing the '20 vin part cycles, so `to speak; that is, the gar ment is arranged upon the bed -and a controller is operated to cause the power means to bring the head down upon the article and hold it under pressure until it is released.' In the operator-operated machine the head is brought down by foot or by hand and llocked in engagement with the garment. In the third type, comprising the operator-closed power pressure arrangement, the head is closed by ha or foot upon the work and thereafter po is applied to the parts for final pressure of the garment.

The present invention is applicable to the power-closed and opened machine and is somewhat like that type but differs therefrom by the fact that while the old type of machine, operates in fixed cycles depending upon the operation of the controller, yet the closing and opening operations or cycles of my present machine may be interrupted atl any/stage, by the operator as may be desired.

For example', the operator may start the` head at full speed towards closed position,

may slow down the closing movement just as the head reaches the garment,'he 'may stop the movement of the'head before it reaches the 4garment and let it remain in such position, or he may release it to nfull open position. It is possible with the present arrangement to close the machine with av squeeze without e'xtreme pressure and then open the machine, or it is possible to carry the closing operation through'to final heavy pressure, to hold this pressure and then release the machine to fully open position. It is also possible by a rapid manipulation ofthe control, as will appear, to produce a repeated, rapid closing and opening of,short range for the production of a patting operation.

One arrangement of thelinvention is set forth in the following description, drawings and claims.

Referringto the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2 is a section upon the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of 65 one of the. friction disks used for the closing operation and taken upon line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. `4 is an elevation of the disk utilized for the opening operation taken upon the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of 'l0 the lower part of the machine looking from front to rear with parts broken away to clearly show the mechanism; Fig. 6 is a vtop plan view of the treadle mechanism; and Fig. 7 is a section upon the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

In the arrangement shown 1 represents 'the mainframe provided with a rearwardly and upwardly extending supporting 'arm 2 and with 'an upwardly extending bed support 3 for a hollow heated buck or bed 4 provided with suitable padding 5. The upper padded face of the buck 4 is substantially in the same horizontal plane as the upperv end of the arm 2. Mounted upon a suitablepivot 6 of arm` 2 is a head lever comprising a forwardly extending portion 7 and a rearwardy extending portion 8. The forward end 7 of the head lever is provided with a suitable hollow steamheated head 9 which in the laundry press is polished for ironing purposes and in the garment press may have a covering 10 for givingthe desired inish to woolen and 'otherouterfgarments.

Extending upwardly from the frame 1 at the rear of the machine are suitable eyes 11 receiving a pin 12 upon which is mounted a lower toggle link 13. This lower toggle link isl pivotally connected to anu per toggle link 14 extending upwardly t rough av swivel head 15 pivotally mounted at 16 in 190 the rear portion 8 of the head lever. The upper end of the 'link 14 is provided with a suitable stop 17'secured to the end thereof and adapted to engage the top of the head 15. A spring 18 is arranged below the head 15 and engages a suitable adjusting means 19 threaded upon the link 14. The spring 18 forces into engagement the stop 17 and the head 15 so that when the press heady is closed the yielding pressure of the spring 18 is exerted upon the rear portion 8 of the head lever and the press head is yieldingly pressed down upon the garment. The toggles formed by the links 13 and 14 are normally broken to the right as shown in Fig.`

1t is obvious that when the crank 21, as.

shown in Fig. 1, is rotated counter-clockwise through 180o the main toggles 13 andf 14 as well as the toggles formed by the link 20 and crank arm 21 will all be straightened and the head will bemoved down with great pressure upon the work. This type of mechanism is similar t'o mechanism already disclosed in this art and merely represents one form ofhead ol'osin and reLssureapplyinff Y g p D vided with a similar friction portion 28, al-"\ means capable of being used with this type of mechanism and is set forth merely because vit forms a part of the organization.

The specific subject matter of this inven- .tion relates to the power mechanism, its application tothe head closing and opening means and the control of the same. power mechanism comprises a closing friction disk member 24 havingV a segmental friction surface 25 and a hub portion 26, as well as'an opening disk member 27 having a friction segment 28 and a hub portion 29. The friction segments are set into the faces of these disks. Tliese two friction disk members may be made as a unitary structure if desired but in the present arrangement they are connected into a single unit by suitable bolts 30. The combined hubs of these two disk members are provided with the keyway 31 for engagement witha relatively long key or spline 31 upon the shaft 23. lThe friction disk unitV is readily movable endwise upon the shaft 23 for the establishment of drive connection for the press closing and opening operations, as will appear. Mounted upon a suitable bracket 32 secured to the frame `is a motor 33 operating through the usual` Worm and worm wheel drive to rotate a main driving 'shaft which projects radially lbetween the two disk members 24 and 27 and is there provided with They al driving member 35 keyed or otherwise suitably mounted upon said shaft. This driving member is of a size such that it maybe rotated freely in neutral position between said disk members without engaging either one, but when one of said disk members is brought into engagement, with the driving member the disk member will be driven in the proper direction to perform the closing or opening machine function as the case may be.

The closing disk 24 has an arc-shaped friction segment 25 already referred toand best illustrated in Fig. l3 and the extent of this friction segment is such that it terminates at a point indicated at 36 which so positions the crank 21 that the toggles are all straightened and moved past their straight line positions so that the press is locked closed. It

may be that only one set of toggles, for exhis hand or foot from the controller which has been previously moved into the closing positlon, as will more fully appear. The other friction disk member 27 is proready referred to, and the arcuate extent of this friction portion is such that when this friction member is moved into engagement with the member 35 the friction surfaces are engaged and the press is opened. The end of the segmental friction portion 28 determines the extent of the opening movement, just as the end of the friction segment 25 determines the end of the closing operation. The parts as positioned in Fig. 4 and the directions of rotation therein indicated are those which prevail when the press is standing open, it being obvious that when the press is closed the friction portion 28 will occupy the opposite position. The engagement of one or the other of the friction disks `with the drive member may be brought about by any suitable mechanism, but in the arrangement shown most clearly in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 the frame is provided with a bracket 37 supporting a bell crank lever comprising an upwardly extending portion 38 provided with an idle roller 39 extending between the two friction disks 24 and 27 and adapted to engagethe faces thereof' outside of thc friction ,portions 4as shown. This lever also has an- 44. This lever is provided with an adjustable counter-weight which tends to move the lever in a countenclockwise direction and balance the entire lever structure and thereby assist the neutralizing device to function.

This bell crank control lever comprising the parts 38 and 40 can be held in neutral position to hold both disks out of engagement with the drive member so that the pressing members may be held locked in closed position. Thisis accomplished by a spring-controlled cam means arranged on one side of the treadle member and comprising a cam member receiving a plun er 46 secured to the treadle and surrounded y a spring 47. The cam member 45 engages a corresponding cam face on the fixed member 45a which co-operates therewith in the action here described. The cam member is actuated by depression of the treadle against the tension of spring 47 and is limited in its movement by pin 48 engaging in slot 49. The spring-controlled cam. means is so arranged that the treadle member is held in a middle or idle position whereby the operator may close the press and lock it, release the control and let the press remain closed. In other words, upon releasing the t-readle it is set and held in neutral position by the-mechanism just described. He may then open it, as willappear.

When the press is open and the motor is running, the operator may depress the 'toe portion ofthe foot plate or treadle to shift the friction members to the right, causing the" drive member 35 to engage the closing disk 24. This operationstarts the straightening of the toggles and if continued will result in the closing of the press and the creation of final pressure and ultimately will resultin the lbcking of the press. If the operator should desire to release the press at any stage, except at the extreme end of the final pres'- sure, he may do so by merely v raising his toe which releases the drive and automatlcally returns the treadle to neutral position; and if the head lever is provided with a counterweight or with opening springs, such as the spring 8, the head will move upwards' towards open position. If no automatically acting opening means, such as a spring or a counteveight, is provided, the operator may easily raise the head by physical effort, due to the fact that the head is easily fand readily movable when the power means has been disconnected therefrom. It makes no difference how far the. head moves toward open position, the operator may againclose the pressv at once by depressing the to portion of the foot plate or treadle ;and this yo-called-a patting operation may be rapidly repeated,

according to the desire of the operator. By

merely varying thel pressure applied y the operator to the control pedal or foot p ate 44,

the slip action -between the frict'ion members may be varied and the closing and opening movements of the head thereby varied. This enablesthe operator to slow up the closing movement of the head as" said head approaches the bed or buck, if desired. If the 4press is provided Lwith an opening spring 8 will be understood that except when the press l is locked closed, power means is not necessary .for opening the Vpress if it is provided with 'an opening spring 8Il as the spring 8a will open the head upon release of pressure upon the toe .of the treadle. However, whenthe press is held locked in closed position by the fully straightened condition of the toggles, the motor. is necessary to release the press. Thus, the spring 8a may or may not be included in the present structure, as desired.

-Thus I have produced a press which is not only capable of increased eiliciency`but at the same-time is of comparatively simple operation and is extremely safe. Its high degree of safety is seen from the fact that should the operators hand be touched by the descending head, he may at once preclude any danger by removing his foot from the treadle, whereupon the head is prevented from further closing movement by the auto- `matic breaking of the driving connection, the

driving disk returning to neutral position; and, in case an opening spring 8 is used, the press head will be automatically returned tol fully open position.

What I claim is: 1. A pressing machine, comprising relatively movable pressing members, means adapted when actuated to close and open the press and .including a friction member, means normally tending toactuate said press closing and opening'means so as to effect the automatic opening of the press," power` means including a driving member, and means for effecting operative engagement of said driving member and said friction member, whereby the press may be opened and 4closed by said power means, said engagement effective means bei/ng capable of actuation to.

effect at anytime vduring the closing of the press ,the disengagement -of said driving member and said friction member, the disengagement of said members rendering the press closing and opening means free for actuation by said press opening means so as to automatically effect the opening of.

the press.

2.- As in claim 1 wherein the friction member comprises a pair of opposed friction disks spaced apart and the driving member cooperating therewith is of less diameter than the distance between the disks whereby the disks comprising the driving member may be shiftedl relatively vto the driving member to bring about driving engagement between oneA of the disks and the drivingv member.

In testimony whereof I hereby aix my signature.'

BLUFORD W. BROCKETT. 

